Nimona review – a shapeshifter and a knight join forces in queer science fantasy

The web comic and graphic novel Nimona by ND Stevenson was an adventure in queer science-fantasy; now it has been mainstreamed into an animation directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, who made their feature debut in 2019 with Spies in Disguise.

What has emerged is a buoyant and good-humoured LGBTQ+ parable, set in a kind of retro-futurist kingdom, super-modern and hi-tech in every way but with a medieval-style queen and a court of knights who have competed hard for the honour of the title “sir”. One of these is Ballister Boldheart (voiced by Riz Ahmed), a lowborn person of colour in love with fellow knight Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang), and Ballister is about to be officially dubbed in a gigantic stadium ceremony halfway between the Hunger Games and the Super Bowl.

But just as he kneels before the Queen, his sword emits a terrifying green death ray which kills the Queen and in the ensuing chaos, Ballister flees the scene, now unjustly wanted for regicide. But who could have tampered with his sword? While hiding out in a ruined castle, Ballister is befriended by bizarre shapeshifting child imp-demon Nimona (voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz) who is excited by his undeserved badass reputation for villainy and offers to be his sidekick. But she, too, has an emotional wound, connected to people who hate and fear all those who are different.

The cityscape is entertainingly imagined, particularly the quasi-London tube station Vanquisher Square, which looks like a station on the Elizabeth line. Moretz gives the lead character some attitude; perhaps her classic movie Kick-Ass, which famously featured some mayhem to the accompaniment of the Dickies’ punky cover version of the Banana Splits theme tune, has inspired Bruno and Quane to use the music once again here. Nimona is likable and engaging entertainment that finds its way through self-created chaos to some humane life-lessons.

• Nimona is released on 23 June in UK cinemas, and on 30 June on Netflix.